Actor Martin Landau Dead At 89

Katie Jerkovich | Contributor

Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau died Saturday at age 89 from “unexpected complications” while he was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center, according to Fox News.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 24: Actor Martin Landau attends the “The Last Poker Game” Premiere – 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at Regal Battery Park Cinemas on April 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

“We are overcome with sadness to report the death of iconic actor Martin Landau,” a statement from the actor’s rep read. “He had just celebrated his 89th birthday.”

The legendary actor has a long line of movie and television titles to his name including the role of “Bela Lugosi” in Tim Burton’s 1994 cult classic “Ed Wood,” for which he won an Academy Award. (RELATED: Mary Tyler Moore Dead At 80)

Landau’s career took off after he played a villain in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” He’s widely recognized for his role in the original television series “Mission Impossible.”

According to another report, he started off as a newspaper cartoonist for the New York Daily News before leaving to try his hand at acting. He is also known for not taking the role of “Mr. Spock” for the TV series “Star Trek.”

Landau is survived by two daughters from his marriage to Barbara Bain, his co-star on “Mission Impossible.”

Correction: The statement came from the actor’s rep and not from the family as originally stated.